The Specialized Protection Service for Children and Adolescents is going through complex days. This, after The counter exposed the cases of sexual exploitation and drug trafficking inside the agency’s residences to children and adolescents.
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This situation added a new chapter this Wednesday, due to the confirmation of the resignation -on a voluntary basis- of its national director, María José Castro, as the national deputy director, Juan Ignacio Carmona.
“We deeply appreciate the commitment and professionalism they dedicated to the Service from day one. We wish them both much success in their new challenges,” says the statement, which does not specify the reasons for the resignation.
In this way, the resignation of María José Castro will be effective as of April 1 and in the case of deputy director Carmona, from the 18 of the same month.
The reasons for the decision have not been reported, but everything points to the serious events that occurred inside the residences, where children and adolescents have been exposed to drug trafficking and cases of commercial sexual exploitation.
The days before the resignation
A few days ago, a harsh report from the Investigative Commission of the Chamber of Deputies highlighted that situations of sexual abuse and exploitation against children and adolescents (NNA) under State protection have been “repeated and long-standing in the system”. Likewise, they point out that this institutional weakness has been identified by networks of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (ESCNNA).
“They see in the protection centers an easy target for their action, which transforms protection residences into spaces at risk of more serious violations, and not safe spaces of protection as it should be,” the document details.
Regarding the networks of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, the aforementioned commission of the Chamber of Deputies found that this is not resolved with the closure of the Cread. And he pointed out that “the complaint of the capture of a family residence” was what triggered the formation of the commission.
A particular case is that of the Puma Family Residence, located in Recoleta. Campus officials issued a letter – dated February 22, 2022 – to the metropolitan director of the Better Childhood Service, Bárbara Soto, in which they denounced shortcomings in shelter, protection and security, both for the young people who reside in Puma and for the teams that play there.
Among the shortcomings in protection, it is pointed out that the minors in said center face two situations that appear to be particularly serious: commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, and drug trafficking.
